Electronic payment system through a telecommunication network

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns an electronic payment system through a telecommunication network, between a salesperson equipped with a server ( 10 ) capable of using a safe payment protocol by smart cards, and a client provided with means ( 21, 22 ) for browsing and for electronic payment capable of executing a payment with said salesperson through a payment management client/software including said safe payment protocol (SET). The invention is characterised in that said payment management client/software being installed on a payment server ( 30 ) on the telecommunication network, said system comprises: browsing means ( 21, 22 ); electronic payment means consisting of a mobile terminal ( 22 ) connected to the network and comprising a payment chip card reader ( 221 ); means for re-routing messages capable of transmitting to said payment server ( 30 ) at least the call number of said mobile terminal ( 22 ). The invention is applicable to electronic commerce.

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for electronic payment via a telecommunications network. It also relates to a payment server and to means for redirecting messages by said electronic payment system.

[0002] A particularly advantageous application of the invention lies in the field of electronic commerce.

[0003] The development of telecommunications via the worldwide Web (the “Web”) and the Internet has had the consequence of promoting electronic commerce on a vast scale. In general, a transaction in electronic commerce takes place by means of an electronic payment system via the telecommunications network, in this case the Web, between a vendor having a server connected to said network and a client having navigation and electronic payment means suitable for establishing a connection over the network with the vendor's server and for making a payment to said vendor. As a general rule, the navigation and electronic payment means are constituted by a computer, e.g. a PC type microcomputer, used as means for navigating the network, and by a reader of payment smart cards connected to said computer and performing the electronic payment function.

[0004] Naturally, transactions performed over the telecommunications network must be made highly secure so as to avoid any interception of messages exchanged between the vendor, the client, and the remote payment administrator, and to proceed with all of the verifications of authentication that are necessary. Thus, various secure payment protocols have been proposed, such as the “Secure Electronic Transaction” (SET) protocol. In this context, the vendor's server is configured to be capable of implementing the selected secure payment protocol. Similarly, at the client end, said secure payment protocol is included in client software for handling payment installed on the client's computer, and which, in addition to ensuring that transactions are secure, is capable of performing other operations, such as handling audit trails, and it possesses an interface with the smart card reader in order to take account of the extension to the SET protocol which makes it possible to use such smart cards.

[0005] Nevertheless, the presently known electronic payment systems as described above present a certain number of drawbacks. Installing a large piece of software such as the client software for handling payment on the client's computer gives rise to problems with downloading, with updating, and with the amount of memory occupied and the amount of hard disk occupied. Furthermore, the system is fully installed on a fixed station, i.e. the computer, and that can impede client mobility.

[0006] Thus, the technical problem to be solved by the subject matter of the present invention is to propose a system for performing electronic payment via a telecommunications network between firstly a vendor having a server connected to said network and suitable for implementing a protocol for secure payment by smart cards, a secondly a client having navigation and electronic payment means suitable for establishing a connection over the network with the vendor's server and for making a payment with said vendor using client software for handling payment that includes said secure payment protocol, which electronic payment system makes it possible simultaneously for the client to have a degree of mobility relative to the fixed computer, for the configuration of the computer to be simplified, and for memory requirements to be reduced.

[0007] According to the present invention, the solution to the technical problem posed consists in that said client software for handling payment is installed on a payment server on the telecommunications network, and said system comprises, at the client end:

[0008] navigation means,

[0009] electronic payment means constituted by a mobile terminal connected to said network and including a reader for reading payment smart cards; and

[0010] means for redirecting messages suitable for transmitting at least the call number of said mobile terminal to said payment server.

[0011] It will thus be understood that relocating the client software for handling payment through the payment server makes the system of the invention considerably less cumbersome at the client end. In particular, there is no need for the client to download said client software or to store it in memory or to update it, since all that is done directly on the payment server. In addition, using a mobile terminal as payment means gives the client greater freedom of movement than when using a fixed computer fitted with a smart card reader.

[0012] In a first embodiment of the electronic payment system of the invention, said navigation means is constituted by a computer, the redirection means being communications software installed on said computer. Under such circumstances, the mobile terminal is dedicated solely to electronic payment.

[0013] Two variants of this first embodiment can be envisaged. A first variant provides for said redirection means to be suitable also for transmitting the call number of the vendor's server to the payment server, with payment being handled between the payment server and the mobile terminal and the vendor's server. In a second variant, said redirection means is suitable for redirecting messages between the payment server and the vendor's server, payment being handled between the payment server and the mobile terminal and the vendor's server via the redirection means.

[0014] In two other embodiments of the invention, said navigation means is constituted by the mobile terminal, said redirection means being communications software installed in a gateway of said telecommunications network or on the mobile terminal. In both cases, the mobile terminal serves both for electronic payment and for navigation.

[0015] Finally, the mobile terminal may be either a GSM type mobile telephone or else a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

[0016] The invention also provides a payment server for a system for electronic payment via a telecommunications network between firstly a vendor having a server connected to said network and suitable for implementing a secure protocol for payment by smart card, and secondly a client having navigation and electronic payment means suitable for setting up a connection over the network with the vendor's server and for making a-payment to said vendor using client software for handling payment that includes said secure payment protocol, said payment server being remarkable in particular in that it is connected to said telecommunications network and contains said client software for secure payment handling.

[0017] The invention also provides a message redirection means for a system for electronic payment via a telecommunications network between firstly a vendor having a server connected to said network and suitable for implementing a secure protocol for payment by smart cards, and secondly a client having navigation and electronic payment means suitable for establishing a connection over the network with the vendor's server and for making a payment to said vendor using client software for handling payment that includes said secure payment protocol, said message redirection means being remarkable in particular in that it is suitable for transmitting at least the call number of a payment mobile terminal connected to said network and including a reader for reading payment smart cards to a payment service connected to said network and containing said client software for secure payment handling.

[0018] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, given as non-limiting examples, shows clearly what the invention consists in and how it can be implemented.

[0019]FIG. 1 is a diagram of a first embodiment of the electronic payment system of the invention.

[0020]FIG. 2 is an information exchange diagram relating to the FIG. 1 embodiment.

[0021]FIG. 3 is a diagram of a second embodiment of the electronic payment system of the invention.

[0022]FIG. 4 is an information exchange diagram relating to the FIG. 3 embodiment.

[0023]FIG. 5 is a diagram of a third embodiment of the electronic payment system of the Invention.

[0024]FIG. 6 is a diagram of a fourth embodiment of the electronic payment system of the invention.

[0025]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system for electronic payment via a telecommunications network, e.g. the Internet over the Web. In this system, a vendor has a server 10 connected to the network and suitable for implementing a secure protocol for payment by smart cards. This protocol can be the Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) protocol developed by bank card operators, and its specifications are public and available at the Internet address www.setco.org. An extension of the protocol to smart cards has been developed by Cybercom. The client has navigation and electronic payment means which, in the example of FIG. 1, are constituted firstly by a computer 21 suitable for setting up a connection over the network with the vendor's server 10 and essentially used for navigating the Web, consulting the vendor's site, and for making orders, and secondly a mobile terminal 22 connected to the network and including a reader for reading a payment smart card 221. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, said mobile terminal 22 is a GSM type mobile telephone, however it could equally well be a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) provided with a smart card reader.

[0026] In order to carry out secure transactions with the vendor, the client has client software for handling payment and including, amongst other things, the SET protocol together with its extension to smart cards. This client software is also capable of performing other operations, such as handling data relating to the client such as audit trails, payment ceilings, and loyalty points. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, said client software for handling payment is installed on a payment server 30 on the network, instead of on the client's computer 21, thereby considerably simplifying configuration and operation. Nevertheless, the computer 21 does have communications software serving as means for redirecting messages to the payment server 30, in particular for informing said server 30 of the call number of the mobile terminal 22 and the call number of the vendor's server 10.

[0027] Thus, as explained in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 2, the electronic transaction between the vendor and the client takes place as follows. After an initial stage of communication between the vendor's server 10 and the client's computer 21, the payment server 30 receives the number for calling the mobile terminal 22 from the client via the computer 21, possibly also together with authentication data and the number for calling the vendor's server 10. From this moment, information concerning the transaction is exchanged solely between the vendor's server 10, the payment server 30 which then represents the client, and the client's mobile terminal 22, while the computer 21 is no longer involved in the exchange of information. More precisely, communication between the vendor's server 10 and the payment server 30 is governed by the secure SET protocol, as are transaction-setting calls between the vendor's server 10 and the payment acquisition interface 41 leading to the remote payment administrator 42. However, exchanges between the server 30 and the mobile terminal 22 take place without the secure SET protocol, which is of little consequence since the risk of interception at this level is relatively low.

[0028] An example of information exchange within the electronic payment system of FIG. 1 is described more particularly below with reference to FIG. 2.

[0029] After using the navigation computer 21 to select a purchase, the client sends a payment order message a to the vendor's server 10. The server 10 responds with a wakeup message b accompanied by the call number of the server 10. This message b is redirected by the redirection means of the computer 21 to the payment server 30, with the resulting redirected message c also containing the call number of the mobile terminal 22. At this moment, the payment server 30 knows all of the call numbers it needs in order to handle the transaction, i.e. the number of the vendor's server 10 and the number of the mobile terminal 21. It can also be observed that the redirected message c may optionally also contain data authenticating the client.

[0030] Thereafter, the payment server 30 exchanges with the vendor's server 10 the PInitReq and PInitRes messages specified in the SET protocol; this relates essentially to requesting a certificate specific to the vendor and sending said certificate to the server 30. Thereafter, the payment server 30 calls the mobile terminal 22, sending in a message d requesting in particular the number of the payment smart card 221 and the client's signature. This information is supplied by the mobile terminal 22 in a response message e. The messages d and e′ are exchanged using various available protocols, such as the following: Short Message Service (SMS), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), or indeed the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

[0031] The transaction then continues using the extended SET protocol: the server 30 prepares a message comprising, amongst other things, the number of the card 221, the client's signature, the price of the purchase, the identity of the purchased goods, and the identity of the vendor. Some of this information is transmitted to the vendor's server 10 in the form of a PReq message, and in particular the purchase price and the identity of the purchased goods, and some of this information such as the card number and the client's signature is sent in an AuthReq message via the server 10 to the interface 41 and the administrator 42. The administrator verifies the client's signature and checks that it has not been stopped. When verification is positive, the operator sends an authorization message AuthRes which is relayed to the server 30 via the vendor's server 10 in a PRes message and then to the client's terminal 22 in a message f confirming the transaction.

[0032] The second embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3 differs from that described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the exchanges of information between the payment server and the vendor's server 10 no longer take place directly but via the redirection means of the computer 21. In this case, there is no longer any need for the call number of the vendor's server 10 to be communicated to the payment server 30 by the redirection means.

[0033]FIG. 4 is an information exchange diagram corresponding to the embodiment of FIG. 3. Compared with the diagram of FIG. 2, it can be observed that messages from the payment server 30 to the vendor's server 10 are redirected by the client's computer 22, and vice versa.

[0034]FIGS. 5 and 6 show two other embodiments in which the navigation means is also constituted by the mobile terminal 22, with this being possible by implementing the WAP protocol. Under such circumstances, the redirection means can be installed in a communications gateway 50 (in a “Proxy”) between the mobile terminal 22 and the telecommunications network, in this case the Web, as shown in FIG. 5. If the capacity of the mobile terminal 22 is sufficient, the redirection means can be installed on the terminal 22 itself, as shown in FIG. 6. The information exchange diagrams are identical to those of FIGS. 2 and 4. 

1/ A system for electronic payment via a telecommunications network between firstly a vendor having a server connected to said network and suitable for implementing a secure protocol for payment by smart card, and secondly a client provided with navigation and electronic payment means suitable for establishing a connection over the network with the vendor's server and for making a payment with said vendor using client software for handling payment that includes said Secure Payment Protocol, wherein said client software for handling payment is installed on a payment server on the telecommunications network, and said system comprises, at the client end: navigation means, electronic payment means constituted by a mobile terminal connected to said network and including a reader for reading payment smart cards; and means for redirecting messages suitable for transmitting at least the call number of said mobile terminal to said payment server. 2/ A system according to claim 1, wherein said navigation means is constituted by a computer, the redirection means being communications software installed on said computer. 3/ A system according to claim 2, wherein said redirection means is also suitable for transmitting the call number of the vendor's server to the payment server, payment being handled between the payment server and the mobile terminal and the vendor's server. 4/ A system according to claim 2, wherein said redirection means is suitable for redirecting messages between the payment server and the vendor's server, the payment being handled between the payment server and the mobile terminal and the vendor's server via the redirection means. 5/ A system according to claim 1, wherein said navigation means is constituted by the mobile terminal, the redirection means being communications software installed on a gateway of said communications network. 6/ A system according to claim 1, wherein said navigation means is constituted by the mobile terminal, the redirection means being communications software installed on said mobile terminal. 7/ A system according to claims 1 to 6, wherein said mobile terminal is a mobile telephone of the GSM type. 8/ A system according to claims 1 to 6, wherein said mobile terminal is a Personal Digital Assistant. 9/ A system according to claim 1, wherein said redirection means is also suitable for transmitting client authentication data to the payment server. 10/ A payment server for a system for electronic payment via a telecommunications network between firstly a vendor having a server connected to said network and suitable for implementing a secure protocol for payment by smart card, and secondly a client having navigation and electronic payment means suitable for setting up a connection over the network with the vendor's server and for making a payment to said vendor using client software for handling payment that includes said secure payment protocol, said payment server being connected to said telecommunications network and containing said client software for secure payment handling. 11/ A payment server, suitable for handling payment audit trails, payment ceilings, loyalty points, all relating to the client. 12/ Message redirection means for a system for electronic payment via a telecommunications network between firstly a vendor having a server connected to said network and suitable for implementing a secure protocol for payment by smart cards, and secondly a client having navigation and electronic payment means suitable for establishing a connection over the network with the vendor's server and for making a payment to said vendor using client software for handling payment that includes said secure payment protocol, said message redirection means being suitable for transmitting at least the call number of a payment mobile terminal connected to said network and including a reader for reading payment smart cards to a payment server connected to said network and containing said client software for secure payment handling. 13/ Message redirection means according to claim 12, suitable for transmitting the call number of the vendor's server to the payment server, payment handling taking place between the payment server and the mobile terminal and the vendor's server. 14/ Message redirection according to claim 12, suitable for redirecting messages between the payment server and the vendor's server, payment handling taking place between the payment server and the mobile terminal and the vendor's server via the redirection means. 15/ Message redirection means according to claims 12 to 14, also suitable for transmitting client authentication data to the payment server. 